Essential oil blends have their own unique synergy. They provide a combined effect that is greater than their separate effects. Of course, it is easier to buy ready-made essential oil blends but those blends not meet your exact preferences. Therefore, for this post, we are going to share the basics of how you can make your own essential oil blend.

Who, What, When, Why, Where?

Before you make your own essential oil blend, it is important for you to be able to answer these questions:

1. Who will be using it? (You? Your family? Your friend?)
2. What effects must it have? (Just for the smell? Or the emotional/physical benefits?)
3. When will it be used? (During the day while you get ready for work/school? Or during the night when you’re about to sleep?)
4. Why is it needed? (To help you energize yourself? To calm you down?)
5. Where will it be used? (In a diffuser? In your soaps? Skincare products?)

These questions are a guide for you to follow during your journey of blending essential oils as each essential oil has its own unique smell and varying benefits and properties. Moreover, some essential oils are organic, some may be too expensive to be used in frequent and large quantities. Know your answers to the questions above and it can help you throughout this craft.

*Be careful about where you get your information about essential oils online! Always cross check with other sources and make sure that the source is reliable as well.

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Choose Quality Essential Oils

When purchasing essential oils, do ensure that they are 100% pure so that you won’t have to use too much just so you can get the right intensity of smell. Also ensure that you’re purchasing from established brands, so you won’t be led astray!

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Categories and Notes

You should also pick your essential oils based on categories and notes.

Categories

Essential oils tend to blend well together if they are from the same category.  Based on the essential oils we carry in our store, here are some according to their category, though do note that some of them overlap:

Citrus – Grapefruit, Sweet Orange, Lemon

Earthy – Clary Sage, Carrot Seed, Ginger Root

Floral – Lavender, Geranium, Tuberose, Ylang Ylang, Clary Sage, Palma Rosa

Herby – Clary Sage, Sweet Basil, Frankincense, Lemongrass, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Cajeput

Minty – Peppermint, Spearmint

Spicy – Clove Bud, Star Anise, Ginger Root

Woodsy – Cedarwood, Clove Bud

Camphoraceous – Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Rosemary

Musky – Patchouli, Citronella

Notes

The notes of an essential oil determine how quickly the essential oil evaporates. They are graded based on top notes, middle notes and base notes.

Top notes – First impression, the fastest to evaporate. Usually derived from flowers, leaves, and flowering herbs.

Middle notes – The heart of the blend, surfaces after the top notes evaporate. Usually derived from whole herbs and spices.

Base notes – The end, the final to surface. Usually derived from trees, roots, and barks.

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Creating Blends

When starting a new blend, always begin with small batches so you can test your blend without wasting too much. As a general rule, you can follow the suggested quantities below for your blends:

Top – 20 to 40% of total volume of blend.

Middle – 40 to 80% of total volume of blend.

Base – 10 to 25% of total volume of blend.

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Let It Rest and Test

Once you’re done blending the essential oils, let the result rest for 24-48 hours. This is so that the chemicals and constituents of the oils can meld and mix together, resulting in a more seamless blend.

Afterwards, do test your blend to see if the aroma of it is favourable or not.

*To give your blends (and essential oils) a longer shelf life, check out this blog post of ours!

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Email us if you have any enquiries at enquiry@craftiviti.com or pop by Craftiviti Craft Store at 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

If you found this post useful, please join us on Craftiviti Facebook or Instagram for more updates and demos!

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

2 Ways to Make Your Own Reusable Beeswax Wrap

When used to store or heat food, plastic leaches toxins into the food which is later consumed by us. There are many studies that have proven that BPA (a common chemical in many plastics) causes a variety of health issues for those who consume food products that have come in contact with it. (1) They’re terrible to our health and terrible to the environment as well.

Therefore, beeswax wraps are a safe and effective alternative to plastic wraps and plastic containers (though, they do come with limitations. For instance, the inability to contain liquids). They are beautiful, functional, reusable, economical and eco-friendly. They are multipurpose and best of all, they’re incredibly easy to make too!

*If you’d like to know all about beeswax wraps, do check out this super informative post by Cerawrap!

For this post, we will be sharing two different ways you can make your own beeswax wrap:

1. Using Beeswax Only

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence/Apartment Therapy)

In this tutorial by Apartment Therapy, you’ll be able to make your own reusable beeswax wraps with only beeswax as the main ingredient.

Materials and Tools Needed:

– Beeswax (you can use any of the beeswax we have in store)

– Fabric (cotton fabric would be great!)

– Parchment Paper

– Baking Sheet

– Scissors (optional)

– Brush

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2. Using Beeswax, Pine Rosin and Jojoba Oil

On the other hand, mommypotamus uses beeswax, pine rosin and jojoba oil in her tutorial. The pine rosin gives the wrap it’s cling factor, while the jojoba oil adds a little more tackiness to it. Together, they help to create a seal on a bowl, or to keep the wrap folded tightly around a food product.

Materials and Tools Needed:

– Beeswax (you can use any of the beeswax we have in store)

– Pine Rosin (available here in our store)

– Jojoba Oil (also available in our store)

– Fabric (cotton fabric would be great!)

– Brush

– Baking Sheet

– Scissors (optional)

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Email us if you have any enquiries at enquiry@craftiviti.com or pop by Craftiviti Craft Store at 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

If you found this post useful, please join us on Craftiviti Facebook or Instagram for more updates and demos!

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References:

1. Frederick S. vom Saal and others, “Chapel Hill Bisphenol A Expert Panel Consensus Statement: Integration Of Mechanisms, Effects In Animals And Potential To Impact Human Health At Current Levels Of Exposure”, Reproductive Toxicology, 24.2 (2007), 131-138 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2007.07.005>.
2. “DIY Reusable Food Wrap”, Mommypotamus<https://www.mommypotamus.com/diy-reusable-food-wrap/> [Accessed 16 January 2019].
3. “How To Make Your Own Reusable Food Wrap”, Apartment Therapy, 2018 <https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-make-your-own-reusable-food-wrap-244307> [Accessed 16 January 2019].
4. “The Ultimate Guide To Beeswax Wraps”, Cerawrap, 2018 <https://www.cerawrap.com/blog/2018/5/29/the-ultimate-guide-to-beeswax-wraps> [Accessed 16 January 2019].

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

DIY: Lavender Rose Salt Scrub

One of the best ways to maintain gorgeous skin is manual exfoliation. Therefore, there are various scrubbing products available on the market, ranging from coffee scrubs to herbal scrubs and moisturizing scrubs. Nevertheless, salt scrubs and sugar scrubs remain the most popular choices. It should be noted that there are differences between a salt scrub and a sugar scrub, though.

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*If you’d like to know about the differences and benefits of a salt scrub VS a sugar scrub, check out:

1. The Pros and Cons Of Salt vs Sugar Scrubs by Organic Elements Spa

2. Benefits of Sugar Scrubs VS Salt Scrubs by Suburban Simplicity

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For this post, we will be sharing a simple DIY on how to make your own lavender rose salt scrub that can immediately be used for one time, and is free from additional ingredients like parabens and parfum. This scrub is meant to be used on the body since salt particles are more abrasive on the face. If you have sensitive skin or would like to make a face scrub instead, you can switch out the salt for sugar (such as our Natural Raw Sugar).

If you’d like, you can purchase these ingredients from our store:

1. Pink Scrubbing Salt (you can mix some Epsom salt in as well, but using only Epsom salt might not give you all the benefits a salt scrub normally has. *If you’d like to know why, do check out this post by Tavoos!)
2. Refined Coconut Oil (you can switch this with other carrier oils)
3. Lavender Essential Oil
4. Dried Rose Buds

Other Tools Needed:

1. Measuring cup
2. Spoon
3. Container to put the finished product in (you can check out the types of packaging we sell here)

Instructions

1. Measure out 100 grams of pink scrubbing salt and add it to your container of choice. If your container is already meant to contain 100 grams, you can pour it directly into the container.

2. Depending on the kind of texture you prefer, add in 40-50 grams of coconut oil into the salt. Should it be too dry for your preference, you can add more coconut oil.

3. Add up to 4 drops (maximum per 100g, if you’re using Craftiviti’s essential oil) of lavender essential oil to the product.

4. Take the dried rose buds and pinch off the top (don’t break it off too close to the stem) before crushing and adding them to the product.

5. Mix the ingredients together and voila! Your lavender rose salt scrub is not ready to be used!

Notes:

*The lifespan of your scrub depends on the carrier oil you use.

*The dried rose buds (or any other dried flowers used) will change colour over time.

*The essential oil(s) used may eventually lose the potency of their scent and benefits due to oxidization.

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Email us if you have any enquiries at enquiry@craftiviti.com or pop by Craftiviti Craft Store at 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

If you found this post useful, please join us on Craftiviti Facebook or Instagram for more updates and demos!

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

Commercial Soaps VS Melt & Pour Soaps

There are various types of soaps available in the market, thus there are various ways to make them as well. As a result, not all soaps are made the same. So, it’s important to know which type of soap you’re buying and the ingredients contained in them.

For this post, we will be listing the differences between commercial soaps and melt & pour soaps.

Contents of Soap

Melt & Pour soaps have a higher glycerine content compared to commercial soaps. Therefore, melt & pour soaps are more beneficial for your skin since it is nourishing and moisturizing. It leaves your skin soft and supple while also protecting it. The glycerine is also what makes melt & pour soap easy to work with. Though, it can also cause the soap to sweat in humid climates (to prevent this, wrap your soap and keep them in a cool and dry place!). (1)

On the other hand, commercial soaps contain chemical detergents, synthetic and petroleum-based cleansers. They also have parabens—which are known as chemical preservatives; phthalates—which is a ‘plasticizer’ that increases the flexibility, transparency, durability and longevity of plastics; and synthetic perfumes. Many of these ingredients (and others) can be drying or irritating on the skin. Some of them can even cause health problems and skin conditions. (2)

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Foaming Agents

Sulphates like SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulphate), which is the accepted contraction of SLES (Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate) are used as foaming agents in soaps. A great many of commercial soaps have SLS in them as it is an inexpensive and very effective foaming agent. (3)

Nevertheless, it should also be noted that some melt & pour soaps also contain SLS. For instance, both Crativiti’s melt & pour Goat’s Milk Soap Base and Shea Butter Soap Base contains SLS. Craftiviti’s Pure Soap Base, however, doesn’t contain SLS.

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Customizability

Melt & pour soaps allows one to customize it according to their needs. You can choose the kinds of butters, carrier oils, fragrance oils, essential oils, clays, colourants, so on and so forth. Commercial soaps, on the other hand, are already ‘complete’ and may not meet all your needs.

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Although commercial soaps are more affordable and require no (optional) extra effort before they can be used, they might not be the better choice for your skin and overall health. Switching to melt & pour soap can be more beneficial in the long run for you. Even so, you should ensure that you purchase melt & pour soap bases from reputable sources!

Email us if you have any enquiries at enquiry@craftiviti.com or pop by Craftiviti Craft Store at 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

If you found this post useful, please join us on Craftiviti Facebook or Instagram for more updates and demos!

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References:

1. “Free Beginner’s Guide To Soapmaking: Melt And Pour – Soap Queen”, Soap Queen, 2018 <https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/melt-and-pour-soap/free-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-melt-and-pour/> [Accessed 31 December 2018].
2. “Natural Soap Vs. Commercial Soap | Pulp & Press”, Pulp & Press Juice Co., 2015 <https://www.pulpandpress.com/natural-soap-vs-commercial-soap/> [Accessed 31 December 2018].
3. Kosswig, Kurt, “Surfactants”, Ullmann’s Encyclopedia Of Industrial Chemistry, 2000 <https://doi.org/10.1002/14356007.a25_747>.

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!